Our national memory forever captures the majestic image of a woman with an invincible will and high dignity, invincible courage and a truly statesmanlike mind. Holy Blessed Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga- an unusually whole person, a truly great woman, who by force of circumstances stood at the head of a huge, still emerging state. Saint Olga turned out to be worthy of the historical lot that fell to her. Moreover, by the providence of God, it was she who had the honor to make a choice that determined the subsequent fate of Russia, and the princess herself determined church veneration as equal to the apostles.

"Chief of the Faith" and "Root of Orthodoxy" in the Russian land since ancient times, people called the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga. There is no point in falling into complex, not indisputable and, in fact, meaningless research about the “national” - Slavic or Varangian origin of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess. Her name - Olga- Scandinavian, it exists to this day in Denmark and Sweden in the form of "Helga". And to St. Olga at the head of the beginning of Russia, we see some Scandinavian, "Varangian" ("glorified" or distorted) names of the Vikings of Swedish, Norwegian or Danish origin - Rurik, Truvor (Swedish - Trevor), Sineus (Swedish - Senius), Askold, Dir (originals these names are difficult to establish), Oleg (Danish - Helge), Igor (Swedish Ingvar), Sveneld.

On Princess Olga, the Varangian series of Rurikovich names is interrupted. Next come the Slavic names. Olga's son is Svyatoslav, her grandson is Vladimir. This is no coincidence.

Normans, Varangians quickly mastered the language of the ethnic majority with which they tied their fate. And in this there is no damage to those peoples who experienced the Norman influence. This impact was felt throughout Europe, at the dawn of the formation of its nations and states. There is no damage to the dignity of Russia from the Varangian vocation, because its “Slavdom” is not in ethnic “purity” (there is no such thing), but in the primacy of the Slavic language among the diversity of its peoples and ethnic groups ...

And one more important circumstance. She, St. Olga, the first of the family, from the Rurik dynasty, converted to Christianity. The liturgical language of the Christians of Russia at that time was undoubtedly already Slavonic. For her, a Varangian aristocrat, the Christian faith was revealed by its deepest side, which is still not completely clear to our contemporaries.

Christian faith- this faith is noble, this is the faith of noble people. Noble in spirit, not in class origin, social status. At the heart of Christianity are all the signs of true nobility: love for one's neighbor to the point of self-sacrifice, mercy, self-sacrifice. Even enemies are shown mercy, indulgence and forgiveness, paradoxically combined with indisputable steadfastness in following the principles of faith and in upholding these principles. Honesty, rejection of lies, moral purity, high personal dignity, different from pride and not subject to it - all this was in the high perfection of the corporate manifestations of the ancient Christian community. In it, each person is priceless and respected, since each person is unique, since each is valuable to God. After all, the Founder of this faith came to Earth and opened the gates of salvation for everyone and for every person.

In their own way, the ancient wanderers of the seas, the Vikings, were not alien to this nobility. Without these qualities, the squads of the Varangians could not live - robber merchants, harsh, cruel warriors and fearless sailors. They - the Normans-Varangians - circled Europe and reached the African shores of ancient Carthage. They, the heroes of the northern waters, reached the polar ice, inhabited Iceland and the south of Greenland, came to pre-Columbian America. They, the Vikings-Varangians, traveled by waterways to the Caspian Sea and to the coast of Persia. They shook the walls of the "capital of the world" Constantinople-Tsargrad, where they were more impressed by the wonders and beauty of the "Greek" Faith, and where their fellow tribesmen had long served in the elite mercenary guards of the emperors. The Vikings knew well that without mutual assistance, without the devotion of the warriors to the squad and the prince-king, without selflessness and the ability to sacrifice, neither their boat-drakkar on the sea-ocean, nor the squad on land in mortal combat could survive. And in external comparison, the Christians had something akin to them, the Varangians. Even Christian churches are built according to the principle and shape of a ship, and the surrounding life itself is the “sea of ​​life”, and the community is like the crew of a ship sailing through the storms and misfortunes of the “sea of ​​life”. And the Guide in this stormy journey is the Founder of this Faith himself, who showed an amazing, paradoxical example of the highest nobility in sacrificial love until death on the cross.

Baptism of Olga was marked by the prophetic words of the patriarch who baptized her: “Blessed are you in Russian wives, for you have left the darkness and loved the Light. Russian sons will glorify you to the last generation!

At baptism, the Russian princess was honored with the name saint, who worked hard in spreading Christianity in the vast Roman Empire and found the Life-Giving Cross on which the Lord was crucified.
Like your heavenly patroness, Olga became an Equal-to-the-Apostles preacher of Christianity in the vast expanses of the Russian land.
There are many chronological inaccuracies and mysteries in the chronicle evidence about her, but doubts can hardly arise about the reliability of most of the facts of her life, brought to our time by the grateful descendants of the holy princess - the organizer of the Russian land.

Narrative of the Life of Blessed Princess Olga

The name of the future enlightener of Russia and her homeland is the oldest of the annals - "The Tale of Bygone Years" calls in the description of the marriage of the Kyiv prince Igor: "And they brought him a wife from Pskov named Olga". The Joachim Chronicle specifies that she belonged to the family of the princes of Izborsk, one of the ancient Russian princely dynasties.
Igor's wife was called the Varangian name Helga, in Russian pronunciation - Olga (Volga).

Tradition calls the birthplace of Olga the village of Vybuty near Pskov, up the Velikaya River. The life of St. Olga tells that here for the first time she met her future husband.
The young prince hunted "in the Pskov region" and, wishing to cross the Great River, he saw "a certain boatman" and called him to the shore. Having sailed from the shore in a boat, the prince found that he was being carried by a girl of amazing beauty. Igor was inflamed with lust for her and began to incline her to sin.

The carrier was not only beautiful, but chaste and intelligent. She shamed Igor, reminding him of the princely dignity of the ruler and judge, who should be "a bright example of good deeds" for their subjects. Igor broke up with her, keeping in mind her words and a beautiful image.

When the time came to choose a bride, the most beautiful girls of the principality were gathered in Kyiv. But none of them pleased him. And then he remembered "wonderful in girls" Olga and sent for her a relative of his prince Oleg.

So Olga became the wife of Prince Igor, the Grand Russian Duchess. After the marriage, Igor went on a campaign against the Greeks, and returned from it as a father: his son Svyatoslav was born.
Soon Igor was killed by the Drevlyans. Fearing revenge for the murder of the Kyiv prince, the Drevlyans sent envoys to Princess Olga, offering her to marry their ruler Mal. Olga pretended to agree.

By cunning, she lured two embassies of the Drevlyans to Kyiv, betraying them to a painful death: the first was buried alive "in the court of the prince", the second - burned in the bath. After that, five thousand Drevlyansky men were killed by Olga's soldiers at the feast for Igor near the walls of the Drevlyan capital Iskorosten.

The next year, Olga again approached Iskorosten with an army. The city was burned with the help of birds, to whose feet a burning tow was tied. The surviving Drevlyans were captured and sold into slavery.

Along with this, the annals are full of evidence of her tireless "walking" across the Russian land with the aim building the political and economic life of the country.
She achieved the strengthening of the power of the Kyiv Grand Duke, centralized state administration with the help of the system "graveyards".

The chronicle notes that she and her son and retinue passed through the Drevlyansk land, "setting tributes and dues", marking villages and camps and hunting grounds to be included in the Kyiv grand ducal possessions. She went to Novgorod, arranging graveyards along the rivers Msta and Luga. "Catching her(hunting places) were all over the earth, established signs, its places and graveyards- writes the chronicler, - and her sleigh stands in Pskov to this day, there are places indicated by her for catching birds along the Dnieper and along the Desna; and her village Olgichi exists to this day". Graveyards (from the word "guest" - a merchant) became the mainstay of the grand duke's power, the centers of ethnic and cultural unification of the Russian people.

Life tells about the works of Olga: “And Princess Olga ruled the regions of the Russian land subject to her, not as a woman, but like a strong and sensible husband, firmly holding power in his hands and courageously defending himself from enemies. And she was terrible for the latter. She is loved by her own people, as a merciful and pious ruler, as a righteous judge and offending no one, imposing punishment with mercy, and rewarding the good; she inspired fear in all the evil, rewarding each in proportion to the dignity of his deeds, but in all matters of management she showed foresight and wisdom.

At the same time, Olga, merciful at heart, was generous to the poor, the poor and the needy; fair requests soon reached her heart, and she quickly fulfilled them ...
With all this, Olga combined a temperate and chaste life, she did not want to remarry, but remained in pure widowhood, observing her son's princely power until the days of his age. When the latter matured, she handed over to him all the affairs of government, and herself, having abstained from rumors and care, she lived outside the cares of management, indulging in the works of charity..

Russia grew and strengthened. Cities were built surrounded by stone and oak walls. The princess herself lived behind the reliable walls of Vyshgorod, surrounded by a faithful squad. Two-thirds of the tribute collected, according to the chronicle, she gave at the disposal of the Kyiv veche, the third part went "to Olga, to Vyshgorod"- on the military structure.

By the time of Olga is the establishment of the first state borders of Kievan Rus

The heroic outposts, sung in epics, guarded the peaceful life of the people of Kiev from the nomads of the Great Steppe, from attacks from the West. Aliens rushed to Gardarika ( "country of cities"), as they called Russia, with goods. Scandinavians, Germans willingly joined the Russian army as mercenaries. Russia became a great power. As a wise ruler, Olga saw on the example of the Byzantine Empire that it was not enough to worry only about state and economic life. It was necessary to take care of the organization of the religious, spiritual life of the people.

The author of the Book of Powers writes: "Her feat(Olga) it was that she knew the true God. Not knowing the Christian law, she lived a pure and chaste life, and she wished to be a Christian of her own free will, with her eyes of the heart she found the path of knowing God and followed it without hesitation..

The Monk Nestor the chronicler narrates: “Blessed Olga from an early age sought wisdom, which is the best in this light, and found a precious pearl - Christ”.
Having made her choice, Grand Duchess Olga, entrusting Kyiv to her grown son, sets off with a large fleet to Constantinople. Old Russian chroniclers will call this act of Olga "walking", it combined and a religious pilgrimage, and a diplomatic mission, and a demonstration of the military power of Russia. “Olga wanted to go to the Greeks herself in order to look at the Christian service with her own eyes and be fully convinced of their teaching about the true God”, - tells the life of St. Olga.

According to the chronicle, in Constantinople Olga decides to become a Christian. The sacrament of Baptism performed over her Patriarch Theophylact of Constantinople (933 - 956), and the emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus (912 - 959), who left in his work "On the Ceremonies of the Byzantine Court" a detailed description of the ceremonies during Olga's stay in Constantinople. At one of the receptions, the Russian Princess was presented with a golden dish adorned with precious stones. Olga donated it to the sacristy of Hagia Sophia, where he was seen and described at the beginning of the 13th century by Russian diplomat Dobrynya Yadreykovich, later Archbishop Anthony of Novgorod: “The dish is great gold serving Olga the Russian, when she took tribute, going to Constantinople: in Olga’s dish is a precious stone, Christ is written on the same stone”.

The Patriarch blessed the newly baptized Russian princess with a cross carved from a single piece of the Life-Giving Tree of the Lord. On the cross was the inscription: “The Russian land was renewed with the Holy Cross, and Olga, the noble princess, accepted it”. Olga returned to Kyiv with icons, liturgical books - her apostolic ministry began.
She erected a temple in the name of St. Nicholas over the grave of Askold, the first Christian prince of Kyiv, and converted many people of Kiev to Christ. With the preaching of faith, the princess went to the north. In the Kyiv and Pskov lands, in remote villages, at crossroads, she erected crosses, destroying pagan idols.

Saint Olga marked the beginning of a special veneration in Russia of the Holy Trinity

From century to century, the story of a vision that she had near the Velikaya River, not far from her native village, was transmitted. She saw that from the east descend from the sky "Three Light Rays". Addressing her companions, who were witnesses of the vision, Olga said prophetically: “Let it be known to you that by the will of God there will be a church in this place in the name of the Most Holy and Life-Giving Trinity, and there will be a great and glorious city here, abounding in everything”.
On this place Olga erected a cross and founded a temple in the name of the Holy Trinity. It became the main cathedral of Pskov - the glorious Russian city, which has been called since then "House of the Holy Trinity". By mysterious ways of spiritual succession, after four centuries, this veneration was transferred to St. Sergius of Radonezh.

On May 11, 960, the church of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God, was consecrated in Kyiv. This day was celebrated in the Russian Church as a special holiday. The main shrine of the temple was the cross received by Olga at baptism in Constantinople. The temple built by Olga burned down in 1017, and in its place Yaroslav the Wise erected the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Irina, and transferred the shrines of St. Sophia's Olga Church to the still standing stone church of St. Sophia of Kyiv, founded in 1017 and consecrated around 1030.

In the Prologue of the 13th century, it is said about Olga's cross: “Izhe now stands in Kyiv in Hagia Sophia in the altar on the right side”. After the conquest of Kyiv by the Lithuanians, Holgin's cross was stolen from St. Sophia Cathedral and taken by the Catholics to Lublin. His further fate is unknown to us. The apostolic works of the princess met with secret and open resistance from the pagans. Among the boyars and warriors in Kyiv there were many people who, according to the chroniclers, "hated wisdom", as well as Saint Olga, who built temples for Her.

The zealots of pagan antiquity raised their heads more and more boldly, looking with hope at the growing Svyatoslav, who resolutely rejected his mother's persuasion to accept Christianity. "The Tale of Bygone Years" talks about it like this: “Olga lived with her son Svyatoslav, and persuaded his mother to be baptized, but he neglected this and plugged his ears; however, if someone wanted to be baptized, he did not forbid him, nor mocked him ...

Olga often said: “My son, I have come to know God and rejoice; so you too, if you know, you will also begin to rejoice.” He, not listening to this, said: “How can I want to change my faith alone? My warriors will laugh at this! She told him: “If you are baptized, everyone will do the same.”

He, not listening to his mother, lived according to pagan customs, not knowing that if someone does not listen to his mother, he will get into trouble, as it is said: “If someone does not listen to his father or mother, then he will die.” He was also angry with his mother... But Olga loved her son Svyatoslav when she said: “God's will be done. If God wants to have mercy on my descendants and the Russian land, may he command their hearts to turn to God, as it was given to me. And saying this, she prayed for her son and for his people all day and night, taking care of her son until he matured..

Despite the success of her trip to Constantinople, Olga was unable to persuade the emperor to agree on two important issues: on the dynastic marriage of Svyatoslav with the Byzantine princess and on the conditions for restoring the metropolis that existed under Askold in Kyiv. Therefore, St. Olga turns her eyes to the West - the Church was at that time united. It is unlikely that the Russian princess could have known about the theological differences between the Greek and Latin creeds.

In 959 a German chronicler writes: “The ambassadors of Elena, the queen of the Russians, who was baptized in Constantinople, came to the king and asked to consecrate a bishop and priests for this people”. King Otto, the future founder of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, responded to Olga's request. A year later, Libutius, from the brethren of the monastery of St. Alban in Mainz, was appointed Bishop of Russia, but he soon died (March 15, 961). Adalbert of Trier was consecrated in his place, whom Otto, "generously providing everything you need", finally sent to Russia.

When in 962 Adalbert appeared in Kyiv, he "did not succeed in anything for which he was sent, and saw his efforts in vain". On the way back "some of his companions were killed, and the bishop himself did not escape mortal danger", - this is how the chronicles tell about the mission of Adalbert. The pagan reaction manifested itself so strongly that not only the German missionaries suffered, but also some of the Kyiv Christians who were baptized along with Olga. By order of Svyatoslav, Olga's nephew Gleb was killed and some churches built by her were destroyed.
Saint Olga had to come to terms with what happened and go into matters of personal piety, giving control to the pagan Svyatoslav. Of course, she was still reckoned with, her experience and wisdom were invariably referred to in all important cases. When Svyatoslav left Kyiv, the administration of the state was entrusted to Saint Olga.

The glorious military victories of the Russian army were also a consolation for her. Svyatoslav defeated the ancient enemy of the Russian state - the Khazar Khaganate, forever crushing the power of the Jewish rulers of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov and the lower Volga region. The next blow was dealt to Volga Bulgaria, then the turn of the Danube Bulgaria came - eighty cities were taken by Kyiv warriors along the Danube.
Svyatoslav and his warriors personified the heroic spirit of pagan Russia. Chronicles have preserved the words of Svyatoslav, surrounded with his retinue by a huge Greek army: “We will not disgrace the Russian land, but we will lay down our bones here! The dead have no shame!”

Svyatoslav dreamed of creating a huge Russian state from the Danube to the Volga, which would unite Russia and other Slavic peoples. Saint Olga understood that with all the courage and courage of the Russian squads, they would not be able to cope with the ancient empire of the Romans, which would not allow the strengthening of pagan Russia. But the son did not listen to his mother's warnings. Saint Olga had to endure many sorrows at the end of her life. The son finally moved to Pereyaslavets on the Danube. While in Kyiv, she taught her grandchildren, the children of Svyatoslav, the Christian faith, but did not dare to baptize them, fearing the wrath of her son.

In addition, he hindered her attempts to establish Christianity in Russia. In recent years, in the midst of the triumph of paganism, she, once revered by all the mistress of the state, baptized by the Ecumenical Patriarch in the capital of Orthodoxy, had to secretly keep a priest with her so as not to cause a new outbreak of anti-Christian sentiment. In 968 Kyiv was besieged by the Pechenegs. The Holy Princess and her grandchildren, among whom was Prince Vladimir, were in mortal danger. When the news of the siege reached Svyatoslav, he hurried to help, and the Pechenegs were put to flight.

Saint Olga, already seriously ill, asked her son not to leave until her death. She did not lose hope to turn her son's heart to God, and on her deathbed she did not stop preaching: “Why are you leaving me, my son, and where are you going? Looking for someone else's, to whom do you entrust yours? After all, Your children are still small, and I am already old, and sick, - I expect an imminent death - a departure to the beloved Christ, in whom I believe; now I don’t worry about anything, but about you: I regret that although I taught a lot and urged me to leave idol wickedness, to believe in the true God that I knew, and you neglect this, and I know what your disobedience is a bad end awaits you on earth, and after death - eternal torment prepared for the pagans.

Fulfill now at least this last request of mine: do not go anywhere until I pass away and be buried; then go wherever you want.
After my death, do not do anything that pagan custom requires in such cases; but let my presbyter with the clergy bury my body according to Christian custom; do not dare to pour a grave mound over me and make funeral feasts; but send gold to Constantinople to the most holy patriarch, so that he makes a prayer and an offering to God for my soul and distributes alms to the poor ".
“Hearing this, Svyatoslav wept bitterly and promised to fulfill everything bequeathed by her, refusing only to accept the holy faith.

After three days, blessed Olga fell into extreme exhaustion; she partook of the Divine Mysteries of the Most Pure Body and the Life-Giving Blood of Christ our Savior; all the time she remained in fervent prayer to God and to the Most Pure Theotokos, whom she always, according to God, had as her helper; she called all the saints; Blessed Olga prayed with particular zeal for the enlightenment of the Russian land after her death; seeing the future, she repeatedly predicted that God would enlighten the people of the Russian land and many of them would be great saints; Blessed Olga prayed for the speedy fulfillment of this prophecy at her death. And another prayer was on her lips, when her honest soul was released from the body, and, as a righteous one, was received by the hands of God..

July 11 (24) Saint Olga died in 969, “and her son and grandchildren and all the people wept with a great cry for her”. Presbyter Gregory fulfilled her will exactly. Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga was canonized at the cathedral in 1547, which confirmed the widespread veneration of her in Russia back in the pre-Mongol era.

God glorified the "boss" of faith in the Russian land with miracles and incorruptible relics

Under the holy Prince Vladimir, the relics of St. Olga were transferred to the Church of the Tithes of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos and laid in a sarcophagus, in which it was customary to place the relics of saints in the Orthodox East. There was a window in the church wall above the tomb of St. Olga; and if someone with faith came to the relics, he saw the power through the window, and some saw the radiance emanating from them, and many who were obsessed with diseases received healing. But for those who came with little faith, the window did not open, and he could not see the relics, but only the coffin.

So after her death, Saint Olga preached eternal life and resurrection, filling the believers with joy and admonishing the unbelievers.
Her prophecy about the evil death of her son came true. Svyatoslav, according to the chronicler, was killed by the Pecheneg prince Kurei, who cut off Svyatoslav's head and made a cup out of the skull, bound it with gold and drank from it during feasts.

The prophecy of the saint about the Russian land was also fulfilled. The prayerful works and deeds of St. Olga confirmed the greatest deed of her grandson St. Vladimir (Comm. 15 (28) July) - the Baptism of Russia.
The images of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga and Vladimir, mutually complementing each other, embody the maternal and paternal principles of Russian spiritual history.
became the spiritual mother of the Russian people, through her began their enlightenment with the light of the faith of Christ.

The pagan name Olga corresponds to the male Oleg (Helgi), which means "saint". Although the pagan understanding of holiness differs from the Christian one, it presupposes in a person a special spiritual attitude, chastity and sobriety, intelligence and insight. Revealing the spiritual meaning of this name, the people called Oleg Prophetic, and Olga - Wise.

Subsequently, Saint Olga will be called God-wise, emphasizing her main gift, which became the basis of the entire ladder of holiness of Russian wives - wisdom. The Most Holy Theotokos herself - the House of the Wisdom of God - blessed Saint Olga for her apostolic labors. Her construction of the Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv - the mother of Russian cities - was a sign of the participation of the Mother of God in the House-building of Holy Russia. Kyiv, that is, Christian Kievan Rus, became the third Lot of the Mother of God in the Universe, and the establishment of this Lot on earth began through the first of the holy women of Russia - the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga. The Christian name of St. Olga - Elena (translated from the ancient Greek "Torch"), became an expression of the burning of her spirit.
Saint Olga (Elena) accepted the spiritual fire, which has not died out in the entire thousand-year history of Christian Russia.

In contact with

Olga, Russian princess

Immeasurable is the depth of the great and holy sacrament of baptism! It is the first in a series of sacraments established by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and preserved by the Church. Through him lies the path to eternal life in blessed union with God.

The establishment of Christianity in Russia under the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir of Kiev (Comm. 15/28 July) was preceded by the reign of Grand Duchess Olga, who in ancient times was called the root of orthodoxy. Blessed Olga appeared like the dawn before the onset of the bright day of holy faith in Christ - the Sun of Truth, she shone like the moon in the darkness of the night, that is, in the darkness of idolatry that enveloped the Russian land. During her reign in Russia, the seeds of the faith of Christ were successfully planted. According to the chronicler, Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga "in all the Russtei of the land was the first destroyer of idols and the foundation of orthodoxy."

Princess Olga, glorified by her wise rule in the days of paganism and even more so by her conversion to Christianity, which she pointed out to her great grandson, from time immemorial has become an object of popular love. Many legends, pagan and Christian, have been preserved about her, each of them is imbued with the spirit of her faith, and therefore one should not be surprised if paganism, thinking to glorify her princess, depicted with vivid features what seemed to her the first virtue - revenge for her spouse. More gratifying are the traditions about the first days of her youth, which breathe with the freshness of pure Slavic morals - this is the first appearance of St. Olga to her high field.

Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga was born in the Pskov land, her family tree goes back to Gostomysl, that glorious husband who ruled in Veliky Novgorod until, on his own advice, the Russian Rurik and his brothers were called from the Varangians to reign. It belonged, the Joachim Chronicle clarifies, to the family of the princes of Izborsk, one of the forgotten ancient Russian princely dynasties that existed in Russia in the 10th-11th centuries. not less than twenty, but which were all forced out over time by the Rurikovichs or brought together with them through marriages. She was born into a pagan family and was called by the Varangian name Helga, in the Russian "round" pronunciation - Olga, Volga. The female name Olga corresponds to the male name Oleg, which means "saint". Although the pagan understanding of holiness is completely different from the Christian one, it also presupposes a special spiritual attitude in a person, chastity and sobriety, intelligence and insight. Later legends called her family estate the whole of Vybutskaya, a few kilometers from Pskov, up the Velikaya River. Blessed Olga's parents were able to instill in their daughter those rules of an honest and reasonable life, which they themselves held, despite their idolatry. Therefore, already in her youth, she was characterized by a deep mind and an exceptional moral purity in a pagan environment. The ancient authors call the holy princess the wisest, the wisest in the family, and it was purity that was the good soil on which the seeds of the Christian faith bore such a rich fruit.

Rurik, dying, left behind his son Igor as a young child, therefore, both Igor and the reign itself, until the days of his son's majority, Rurik entrusted the care of a relative of his prince. Oleg. Having gathered a significant army and having with him the young heir to the reign of Igor, he went to Kyiv. Having killed here the Russian princes Askold and Dir, who had shortly before adopted Christianity, Oleg subjugated Kyiv and became the sole ruler of the Varangian-Russian possessions, keeping the reign for his nephew Igor. During the reign of Oleg from 882 to 912. Russia turns into a huge strong state, uniting under the rule of Kyiv almost all Russian lands up to Novgorod.

Prince Igor, having reached adolescence, was engaged in hunting. It happened to him during a hunt in the outskirts of Novgorod to go into the limits of Pskov. Tracking the animal near the village of Vybutskaya, he saw on the other side of the river a place convenient for fishing, but could not get there for lack of a boat. After some time, Igor noticed some young man sailing in a boat, and, calling him to the shore, ordered himself to be transported to the other side of the river. When they sailed, Igor, carefully peering into the face of the rower, saw that this was not a young man, but a girl - that was blessed Olga. Olga's beauty wounded Igor's heart, and he began to seduce her with words, inclining her to impure carnal confusion. However, the chaste girl, having understood the thoughts of Igor, inflamed by lust, stopped the conversation with a wise admonition: “Why are you embarrassed, prince, plotting an impossible task? Your words reveal a shameless desire to abuse me, which will not happen! I beg you, listen to me, suppress in yourself these absurd and shameful thoughts, which you need to be ashamed of. Remember and think that you are a prince, and for people a prince should be like a ruler and judge, a bright example of good deeds - now you are close to lawlessness. If you yourself, defeated by impure lust, commit evil deeds, then how will you keep others from them and judge your subjects justly? Abandon such shameless lust, which honest people abhor; they may hate you for this, although you are a prince, and betray you to shameful ridicule. And even then know that, although I am alone here and powerless in comparison with you, you still will not overcome me. But even if you could overcome me, then the depth of this river will immediately protect me; It is better for me to die in purity, burying myself in these waters, than to be mocked by my virginity. Such exhortations to chastity brought Igor to reason, awakening a sense of shame. He was silent, not finding words to answer. So they swam across the river and parted. And the prince was surprised at such an outstanding mind and chastity of a young girl. Indeed, such an act of blessed Olga is worthy of surprise: not knowing the True God and His commandments, she discovered such a feat in the defense of chastity; carefully guarding the purity of her virginity, she brought the young prince to reason, taming his lust with words of wisdom worthy of her husband's mind.

A little time has passed. Prince Oleg, having approved the throne of reigning in Kyiv and planting his deputies and others who obeyed him in the cities of the Russian land, began to look for a bride for Prince Igor. They gathered many beautiful girls in order to find among them worthy of the prince's palace, but not one of them fell in love with the prince. For in his heart the choice of the bride had long been made: he ordered to call the one who transported him across the Velikaya River at the hour of fishing in the dense forests of Pskov. Prince Oleg brought Olga to Kyiv with great honor, and Igor married her in 903.

Since 912, after the death of Prince Oleg, Igor began to rule in Kyiv with autocracy. At the beginning of his independent reign, Igor waged stubborn wars with the surrounding peoples. He even went to Constantinople, capturing many countries of the Greek land, and returned from this campaign with much booty and glory. He spent the rest of his life in silence, having peace with the borderlands, and wealth flowed to him in abundance, for even distant countries sent him gifts and tributes.

During the reign of Igor, who was loyal to the Christian religion, the faith of Christ becomes a significant spiritual and state force in the Russian state. This is evidenced by the surviving text of Igor's treaty with the Greeks in 944, which is included by the chronicler in the Tale of Bygone Years, in an article describing the events of 6453 (945).

The peace treaty with Constantinople was to be approved by both religious communities of Kyiv: "Baptized Rus", that is, Christians, were sworn in in the cathedral church of the holy prophet of God Elijah and "Unbaptized Rus", pagans, swore on weapons in the sanctuary of Perun the Thunderer. And the fact that Christians are placed in the first place in the document speaks of their primary spiritual significance in the life of Kievan Rus.

Obviously, at the moment when the treaty of 944 was drawn up in Constantinople, people in power in Kyiv were sympathetic to Christianity, aware of the historical necessity of introducing Russia to the life-giving Christian culture. Perhaps Prince Igor himself belonged to this trend, whose official position did not allow him to personally convert to a new faith without resolving the issue of baptizing the whole country and establishing an Orthodox church hierarchy in it. Therefore, the contract was drawn up in cautious terms that would not prevent the prince from confirming it both in the form of a pagan oath and in the form of a Christian oath.

Prince Igor was not able to overcome the inertia of custom and remained a pagan, therefore he sealed the contract according to a pagan model - an oath on swords. He rejected the grace of baptism and was punished for unbelief. A year later, in 945, the rebellious pagans killed him in the Drevlyane land, tearing him between two trees. But the days of paganism and the way of life of the Slavic tribes based on it were already numbered. The burden of public service was assumed by the widow of Igor, Grand Duchess Olga of Kyiv, with her three-year-old son Svyatoslav.

The beginning of the independent reign of Princess Olga is associated in the annals with stories of terrible retribution against the Drevlyans, the murderers of Igor. Those who swore on swords and believed "only in their own sword," the pagans were doomed by God's judgment to perish by the sword (Matt. 26:52). Those who worshiped, among other deified elements, fire found their vengeance in fire. The Lord chose Olga as the executor of the fiery punishment, mourning her husband together with her son Svyatoslav; all the inhabitants of Kyiv also wept. The Drevlyans, on the other hand, made up the following daring plan: they wanted Olga, hearing about her beauty and wisdom, to marry their prince Mal, and secretly kill the heir. Thus, the Drevlyans thought to increase the power of their prince. They immediately sent twenty deliberate husbands to Olga on boats, so that they asked Olga to become the wife of their prince; and in case of refusal on her part, they were ordered to force her with threats - let her, albeit by force, become the wife of their master. The sent men reached Kyiv by water and landed on the shore. Having heard about the arrival of the embassy, ​​Princess Olga called the Drevlyan husbands to her and asked them: “Have you, honest guests, arrived with good intentions?” "Good," they replied. “Tell me,” she continued, “why exactly did you come to us?” The men answered: “The Drevlyane land sent us to you with these words: Do not be angry that we killed your husband, for he, like a wolf, plundered and plundered. And our princes are good rulers. Our current prince is without comparison better than Igor: young and handsome, he is also meek, loving and merciful to everyone. Having married our prince, you will be our mistress and owner of the Drevlyane land. Princess Olga, hiding her sadness and heart disease for her husband, told the embassy with feigned joy: “Your words are pleasing to me, because I can no longer resurrect my husband, but it’s not easy for me to remain a widow: being a woman, I’m not able to, as it should, govern such a principality; my son is still a little boy. So, I will gladly go for your young prince; besides, I'm not old myself. Now go, rest in your boats; in the morning I will call you to an honorable feast, which I will arrange for you, so that everyone will know the reason for your arrival and my consent to your proposal; and then I will go to your prince. But you, when those sent in the morning come to take you to the feast, know how you must respect the honor of the prince who sent you and your own: you will arrive at the feast in the same way as you arrived at Kyiv, that is, in the boats that the people of Kiev will carry on their heads - let everyone see your nobility, which I honor you with such a great honor before my people. With joy, the Drevlyans retired to their boats. Princess Olga, avenging the murder of her husband, pondered what kind of death to destroy them. She ordered the same night to dig a deep hole in the yard at the country palace of the prince, in which there was also a beautiful chamber prepared for the feast. The next morning, the princess sent honest men to call the matchmakers to the feast. Putting them into small boats one at a time, the people of Kiev carried them, puffed up with empty pride. When the Drevlyans were brought to the prince's court, Olga, looking out from the chamber, ordered them to be thrown into a deep pit prepared for this. Then, going up to the pit herself and bending down, she asked: “Do you like this honor?” They shouted: “Oh, woe to us! We killed Igor and not only did not gain anything good through this, but received an even more evil death. And Olga ordered to fill them alive in that pit.

Having done this, Princess Olga immediately sent her messenger to the Drevlyans with the words: “If you really want me to go for your prince, then send an embassy for me, and more numerous and more noble than the first; let it lead me with honor to your prince; send ambassadors as soon as possible before the people of Kiev hold me back.” With great joy and haste, the Drevlyans sent fifty noble men to Olga, the most senior elders of the Drevlyan land after the prince. When they arrived in Kyiv, Olga ordered that a bathhouse be prepared for them and sent to them with a request: let the ambassadors, after a tiring journey, wash in the bathhouse, rest, and then come to her; they gladly went to the bath. When the Drevlyans began to bathe, immediately the servants, who were specially assigned, firmly blocked the closed doors from the outside, surrounded the bathhouse with straw and brushwood and set it on fire; so the elders of the Drevlyansk burned down with the bath along with the servants.

And again Olga sent a messenger to the Drevlyans, announcing her imminent arrival at the marriage with their prince and ordering to prepare honey and all kinds of drink and food at the place where her husband was killed, in order to create a feast before her second marriage for her first husband, then there is a memorial feast, according to pagan custom. The Drevlyans, for joy, prepared everything in abundance. Princess Olga, according to her promise, went to the Drevlyans with many troops, as if preparing for war, and not for marriage. When Olga approached the capital city of the Drevlyans Korosten, the latter came out to meet her in festive clothes and received her with jubilation and joy. Olga, first of all, went to the grave of her husband and wept greatly for him. Having then performed a commemorative feast according to pagan custom, she ordered that a large barrow be built over the grave. “I no longer grieve for my first husband,” said the princess, “having done over his grave what should have been done. The time has come to prepare with joy for a second marriage with your prince. The Drevlyans asked Olga about their first and second ambassadors. “They follow us along a different path with all my wealth,” she replied. After that, Olga, having taken off her sad clothes, put on her bright wedding clothes, characteristic of the princess, showing at the same time a joyful look. She ordered the Drevlyans to eat, drink and be merry, and ordered her people to serve them, eating with them, but not getting drunk. When the Drevlyans got drunk, the princess ordered her people to beat them with pre-prepared weapons - swords, knives and spears, and the dead fell to five thousand or more. So Olga, having mixed the fun of the Drevlyans with blood and having avenged this for the murder of her husband, returned to Kyiv.

The next year, Olga, having gathered an army, went to the Drevlyans with her son Svyatoslav Igorevich, and attracted him to avenge the death of his father. The Drevlyans came out to meet them with a considerable military force; coming together, both sides fought fiercely until the Kievans defeated the Drevlyans, who were driven to their capital city of Korosten, putting to death. The Drevlyans shut themselves up in the city, and Olga relentlessly besieged it for a whole year. Seeing that it was difficult to take the city by storm, the wise princess came up with such a trick. She sent a message to the Drevlyans who had shut themselves up in the city: “Why, madmen, do you want to starve yourself to death, not wanting to submit to me? After all, all your other cities have expressed their obedience to me: their inhabitants pay tribute and live quietly in cities and villages, cultivating their fields. “We would like, too,” answered those who closed, “to submit to you, but we are afraid that you would not begin to avenge your prince again.” Olga sent a second ambassador to them with the words: “I have repeatedly avenged both the elders and your other people; and now I do not want revenge, but I demand tribute and obedience from you. The Drevlyans agreed to pay tribute to her, whatever she wants. Olga suggested to them: “I know that you are now impoverished from the war and cannot pay tribute to me either in honey, or wax, or skins, or other things suitable for trade. Yes, I myself do not want to burden you with a big tribute. Give me some small tribute as a token of your obedience, at least three doves and three sparrows from each house. This tribute seemed so insignificant to the Drevlyans that they even mocked Olga's female mind. However, they hurried to collect three doves and a sparrow from each house and sent her with a bow. Olga said to the men who came to her from the city: “Now, you have now submitted to me and my son, live in peace, tomorrow I will retreat from your city and go home.” With these words, she dismissed the aforementioned husbands; all the inhabitants of the city were very happy when they heard about the words of the princess. Olga distributed the birds to her warriors with the order that in the late evening each dove and each sparrow should be tied with a piece soaked in sulfur, which should be lit, and let all the birds into the air together. The soldiers carried out this order. And the birds flew to the city from which they were taken: each dove flew into its nest and each sparrow into its own place. Immediately the city caught fire in many places, and at that time Olga gave her army an order to surround the city from all sides and launch an attack. The population of the city, fleeing the fire, ran out from behind the walls and fell into the hands of the enemy. So Korosten was taken. Many people from the Drevlyans died from the sword, others with their wives and children were burned in the fire, and others drowned in the river that flowed under the city; at the same time, the Drevlyansky prince also died. Of the survivors, many were taken into captivity, while others were left by the princess in their places of residence, and she imposed a heavy tribute on them. So Princess Olga took revenge on the Drevlyans for the murder of her husband, subjugated the entire Drevlyane land and returned to Kyiv with glory and triumph.

And Princess Olga ruled the regions of the Russian land subject to her not as a woman, but as a strong and reasonable husband, firmly holding power in her hands and courageously defending herself from enemies. The Grand Duchess traveled around the Russian land in order to streamline the civil and economic life of the people, and the chronicles are full of evidence of her tireless "walking". Having achieved an internal strengthening of the power of the Grand Duke of Kyiv, weakening the influence of the small local princes that interfered with the gathering of Russia, Olga centralized all state administration with the help of a system of "graveyards", which, being financial, administrative and judicial centers, represented a strong support for the grand duke's power on the ground. Later, when Olga became a Christian, the first churches began to be erected around the churchyards; since the time of the baptism of Russia under St. Vladimir, the graveyard and the temple (parish) have become inseparable concepts (only later did the term “graveyard” in the sense of a cemetery divorced from the cemeteries that existed near the temples).

Princess Olga put a lot of work to strengthen the defense power of the country. Cities were built up and fortified, overgrown with stone and oak walls (visors), bristling with ramparts and palisades. The princess herself, knowing how hostile many were to the idea of ​​strengthening the princely power and uniting Russia, lived constantly "on the mountain", above the Dnieper, behind the reliable visors of Kyiv's Vyshgorod (Upper City), surrounded by a faithful retinue. Two-thirds of the tribute collected, according to the chronicle, she gave at the disposal of the Kyiv Council, the third part went "to Olza, to Vyshgorod" - for the needs of the military structure. By the time of Olga, historians attribute the establishment of the first state borders of Russia - in the west, with Poland. Bogatyr outposts in the south guarded the peaceful fields of Kiev from the peoples of the Wild Field. Foreigners hurried to Gardarika (“country of cities”), as they called Russia, with goods and handicrafts. The Swedes, Danes, Germans willingly joined the Russian army as mercenaries. Kyiv's foreign ties were expanding. This contributed to the development of stone construction in the cities, which was initiated by Princess Olga. The first stone buildings of Kyiv - the city palace and Olga's country house - were found by archaeologists only in our century (the palace, or rather its foundation and the remains of the walls, were found and excavated in 1971–1972).

In all matters of government, Grand Duchess Olga showed foresight and wisdom. For enemies she was terrible, loved by her own people, as a merciful and pious ruler, as a righteous judge and offending no one. She inspired fear in the evil, rewarding each in proportion to the dignity of his deeds. At the same time, Olga, merciful at heart, was a generous giver to the poor, the poor and the needy; fair requests quickly reached her heart, and she quickly fulfilled them. All her deeds, despite her stay in paganism, were pleasing to God, as worthy of Christian grace. With all this, Olga combined a temperate and chaste life: she did not want to remarry, but remained in pure widowhood, observing her son’s princely power until the days of his age. When the latter matured, she handed over to him all the affairs of the reign, and herself, having abstained from rumors and cares, she lived outside the worries of management, indulging in the deeds of charity.

An auspicious time has come, in which the Lord wanted to enlighten the Slavs, blinded by unbelief, with the light of the holy faith, bring them to the knowledge of the truth and guide them on the path of salvation. The Lord deigned to reveal the beginnings of this enlightenment in the shame of hard-hearted men in a weak female vessel, that is, through blessed Olga. For just as before He made the myrrh-bearing women preachers of His resurrection and His honest Cross, on which He was crucified, revealed to the world from the bowels of the earth as Queen Elena (Comm. , the new Elena - Princess Olga. The Lord chose her as an "honest vessel" for His Most Holy Name - may she carry Him into the Russian land. He kindled in her heart the dawn of His invisible grace, opened her intelligent eyes to the knowledge of the True God, Whom she did not yet know. She already understood the seduction and delusion of pagan wickedness, convinced, as in a self-evident truth, that the idols revered by insane people are not gods, but a soulless product of human hands; therefore, she not only did not honor them, but also abhorred them. Like a merchant looking for valuable pearls, so Olga wholeheartedly sought the right worship of God.

History has not preserved the names of the first Christian mentors of St. Olga, probably because the conversion of the blessed princess to Christ was associated with Divine admonition. One of the ancient texts says this: “Oh wonder! She herself did not know the Scriptures, did not hear the Christian law and the teacher about piety, but diligently learned the disposition of piety and loved the Christian faith with all her heart. O inexpressible providence of God! Not from a blessed person did I learn the truth, but from above a teacher I have God's Wisdom. Saint Olga went to Christ through the search for truth, seeking satisfaction for her inquisitive mind; the ancient philosopher calls her "God's chosen guardian of wisdom." The Monk Nestor the Chronicler narrates: “From an early age, Blessed Olga sought wisdom, which is the best thing in this world, and found a valuable pearl - Christ.”

By God's guidance, Princess Olga heard from some people that there is a True God, the Creator of heaven, earth and all creation, in whom the Greeks believe; besides Him there is no other god. Such people, as the well-known historian E.E. Golubinsky suggests, were the Christian Varangians, of whom there were many among the squad of Prince Igor. And Olga drew attention to these Varangians of the new faith; for their part, the Vikings themselves dreamed of making her their supporter, hoping that she was a woman not just with a great mind, but with a state mind. Therefore, the fact that Christianity has become the faith of almost all the peoples of Europe, and in any case there is the faith of the best peoples among them, and the fact that a strong movement towards Christianity began among its own relatives (Varangians), following the example of other peoples, could not but affect into Olga's mind, making it necessary for her to conclude that people have the best and faith must be the best. And striving for true knowledge of God and not being lazy by nature, Olga herself wanted to go to the Greeks in order to look at the Christian service with her own eyes and be completely convinced of their teaching about the True God.

By this time Russia had grown into a great power. The princess completed the internal arrangement of the lands. Russia was strong and powerful. Only two European states in those years could compete with it in importance and power: in the east of Europe - the ancient Byzantine Empire, in the west - the kingdom of the Saxons. The experience of both empires, which owed their rise to the spirit of Christian teaching, the religious foundations of life, clearly showed that the path to the future greatness of Russia lies not only through the military, but, above all, and mainly through spiritual conquests and achievements.

With her sword, Russia constantly “touched” neighboring Byzantium, tested again and again not only the military-material, but also the spiritual strength of the Orthodox Empire. But behind this was hidden a certain aspiration of Russia to Byzantium, a sincere admiration for her. The attitude of Byzantium towards Russia was different. In the eyes of the empire, Russia was not the first and not the only "barbarian" people captivated by its beauty, wealth and spiritual treasures. Proud Byzantium with undisguised irritation looked at the new "semi-savage" people, who dared to cause her great troubles and stood in the view of the imperial court at the lowest rung of the diplomatic hierarchy of states and peoples. Fighting off, buying him off, and, if possible, turning him into an obedient subject and servant - this is the main line of the empire's relationship to the young Russian state. But the Russian land, ready to accept Orthodoxy, professed and manifested in marvelous beauty by the Greek Church, did not at all intend to bow its head under the yoke. Russia tried both to defend its independence and to establish the closest alliance with Byzantium, but one in which it would occupy a dominant position. The then exalted empire did not know that Russia would achieve its goal! For the Providence of God determined precisely Russia (and, perhaps, just for the secret sincerity of love) to become the historical successor of Byzantium, to inherit its spiritual wealth, political power and greatness.

With a natural desire to visit Byzantium, Grand Duchess Olga also combined serious state interests. Recognition of Russia, raising its status in the hierarchy of Byzantium's allies, and consequently an increase in prestige in the eyes of the rest of the world - that was what was especially important for the wise Olga. But this could be achieved only by the adoption of Christianity, because in those days trust between the states of Europe was established on the basis of a religious community. Taking especially noble men and merchants with her, Grand Duchess Olga set off in the summer of 954 (955) with a large fleet to Tsargrad. It was a peaceful “walk”, combining the tasks of a religious pilgrimage and a diplomatic mission, but political considerations demanded that it become at the same time a manifestation of the military power of Russia on the Black Sea and remind the proud “Romans” of the victorious campaigns of the princes Askold and Oleg, who in 907 nailed his shield "on the gates of Tsaregrad". And the result was achieved. The appearance of the Russian fleet on the Bosphorus created the necessary prerequisites for the development of a friendly Russian-Byzantine dialogue.

The Russian princess was received with great honor by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (913–959) and Patriarch Theophylact (933–956), whom she presented with many gifts worthy of such persons. For the distinguished Russian guest, not only diplomatic receptions were observed, but special deviations from them were also made. So, contrary to the usual rules of the court, Prince. Olga was received not together with ambassadors from other states, but separately from them. At the same time, the emperor managed to reflect in the reception ceremonies the “distance” that separated the Russian princess from the ruler of Byzantium: Prince. Olga spent more than a month on a ship in Souda, the harbor of Constantinople, before the first reception took place in the palace on September 9th. There were long, tedious negotiations about how, with what ceremonies, the Russian princess should be received. At the same time, the prince herself attached great importance to the ceremonial. Olga, who sought recognition of the high prestige of the Russian state and her own as its ruler. In Constantinople, Olga studied the Christian faith, daily diligently listening to the words of God and looking closely at the magnificence of the liturgical rite and at other aspects of Christian life. She attended divine services in the best churches: Hagia Sophia, Our Lady of Blachernae and others. And the southern capital struck the stern daughter of the North with the deanery of divine services, the wealth of Christian churches and the shrines gathered in them, the variety of colors, the splendor of architecture.

The wise Olga's heart was opened to holy Orthodoxy, and she decided to become a Christian. According to the chronicler, the sacrament of baptism was performed on her by Patriarch Theophylact of Constantinople, and Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus himself was the recipient. She was given the name Elena in baptism, in honor of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Elena. In the edifying word spoken after the ceremony, the patriarch said: “Blessed are you in the wives of Russians, for you left the darkness and loved the Light. Russian people will bless you in all future generations, from grandchildren and great-grandchildren to your most distant descendants. He instructed her in the truths of the faith, the church charter and prayer rule, explained the commandments about fasting, chastity and almsgiving. She, - says the Monk Nestor the Chronicler, - bowed her head and stood like a soldered lip, listening to the teaching, and, bowing to the patriarch, she said: “By your prayers, Vladyka, may I be saved from enemy networks.” After that, the newly baptized princess once again visited the patriarch, telling her grief: “My people and my son are pagans ...” The patriarch encouraged, comforted her and blessed her. Then blessed Olga received from him an honest cross, holy icons, books and other things necessary for worship, as well as presbyters and clerics. And Saint Olga withdrew from Constantinople to her home with great joy.

It was not easy to force such a hater of Russians as Emperor Konstantin Porphyrogenitus to become the godfather of a Russian princess. The annals preserved stories about how Olga spoke decisively and on an equal footing with the emperor, surprising the Greeks with spiritual maturity and statesmanship, showing that the Russian people were just able to perceive and multiply the highest accomplishments of the Greek religious genius, the best fruits of Byzantine spirituality and culture. So St. Olga managed to "take Tsargrad" peacefully, which no commander could do before her. The Grand Duchess achieved extremely important results. She was baptized with honors in the capital of Byzantium (in the church of Hagia Sophia, the main cathedral church of the Ecumenical Church of that time). At the same time, she received, as it were, a blessing for the apostolic mission in her land. In addition, the head of the Russian state receives the title of "daughter" from the emperor, placing Russia in "the highest rank of the diplomatic hierarchy of states after Byzantium itself." The title coincides with the Christian position of Olga-Elena as the emperor's goddaughter. And in this, according to the chronicle, the emperor himself was forced to admit that he was "switched" (outwitted) by his Russian princess. And in his work “On the Ceremonies of the Byzantine Court”, which has come down to us in a single list, Constantine Porphyrogenitus left a detailed description of the ceremonies that accompanied the stay of St. Olga in Constantinople. He describes a solemn reception in the famous Chamber of Magnavre, and negotiations in a narrower circle in the chambers of the Empress, and a ceremonial dinner in the Justinian Hall, where, by coincidence, four "state ladies" providentially met at one table: the grandmother and mother of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir (St. Olga and her companion Malusha) with the grandmother and mother of his future wife Anna (Empress Elena and her daughter-in-law Feofano). A little more than half a century will pass and in the Church of the Tithes of the Most Holy Theotokos in Kyiv, the marble tombs of St. Olga, St. Vladimir and the blessed Empress Anna will stand side by side.

During one of the receptions, says Konstantin Porphyrogenitus, a golden dish decorated with stones was brought to the Russian princess. Saint Olga donated it to the sacristy of St. Sophia Cathedral, where it was seen and described at the beginning of the 13th century by the Russian diplomat Dobrynya Yadreykovich, later Archbishop Anthony of Novgorod: in Olzhin's dish there is a precious stone, Christ is written on the same stone.

As for the directly diplomatic outcome of the negotiations, St. Olga had reason to remain dissatisfied with them. Having achieved success in matters of Russian trade within the empire and the confirmation of the peace treaty with Byzantium, concluded by Igor in 944, she could not, however, persuade the emperor to two major agreements for Russia: on the dynastic marriage of Svyatoslav with the Byzantine princess and on the conditions for restoring the existing at the book. Askold of the Orthodox Metropolis in Kyiv. Her dissatisfaction with the outcome of the mission clearly sounds in the answer she gave, already on her return to her homeland, to the ambassadors sent from the emperor. To the emperor’s question regarding the promised military assistance, Saint Olga, through the ambassadors, sharply answered: “If you stand with me in Pochaina as I do in the Court, then I will give you soldiers to help.” The Grand Russian Duchess made it clear to Byzantium that the empire was dealing with a mighty independent state, whose international prestige was now elevated by the empire itself in full view of the whole world!

Returning from Constantinople to Kyiv, the new Elena - Princess Olga - began a Christian sermon. Much depended on whether her son Svyatoslav, who was about to take the reins of government by the state, would turn to Christ. And from him, according to the chronicle, the Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess began her sermon.

But she could not bring him to the true mind, to the knowledge of God. Wholly devoted to military enterprises, Svyatoslav did not even want to hear about holy baptism, but he did not forbid anyone to be baptized, but only laughed at the newly baptized, because for the infidels, who did not know the glory of the Lord, the Christian faith seemed like madness, according to the apostle: We preach Christ Crucified, for the Jews a stumbling block, for the Greeks madness, because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weak of God is stronger than men(1 Cor. 1, 23, 25). Blessed Olga often said to Prince Svyatoslav: “My son, I have come to know God and rejoice in spirit. If you also know Him, you will rejoice.” But he did not want to listen to his mother, continuing to follow the pagan customs, and said to her: “What will my team say about me if I change the faith of the fathers? She will scold me." Such speeches were hard for the mother, but she rightly remarked to her son: "If you are baptized, then everyone will do the same." It was the first attempt in history to arrange a general baptism of Russia. Svyatoslav could not object, and therefore, as the chronicle says, "he was angry with his mother." Not only the fear of ridicule held him back, but also his own "desire to live according to pagan customs." Wars, feasts, fun, distant campaigns, life according to the lusts of the heart and flesh - that's what owned the soul of Svyatoslav. In all this, the desperately brave, intelligent, broad-minded Svyatoslav wanted to find the fullness of life. But the mother knew that this would not bring true joy to his soul, she deeply grieved for him and for the Russian land and used to say: “God's will be done; if God wants to have mercy on this generation and the Russian land, then he will put in their hearts the same desire to turn to God that he gave me.” And with warm faith she prayed day and night for her son and for the people, so that the Lord would enlighten them, what fate knows. Meanwhile, being unable to soften the heart of Svyatoslav, she tried to sow the seeds of Christianity in her three young grandchildren - Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir, who were left to her by her warrior father. This holy seed at one time bore a favorable fruit, taking root in the heart of young Vladimir.

Despite the failure of efforts to establish a church hierarchy in Russia, Saint Olga, having become a Christian, zealously indulged in the exploits of Christian evangelism among the pagans and church building; "Smash the demons' torment and begin to live in Christ Jesus." To perpetuate the memory of the first Russian confessors of the name of Christ, the Grand Duchess erected the Nikolsky Church over the grave of Askold and laid a wooden cathedral over the grave of Dir in the name of Hagia Sophia the Wisdom of God, consecrated on May 11, 960. This day was subsequently celebrated in the Russian Church as a special church holiday. In the Monthly Word of the parchment Apostle of 1307, under May 11, it is written: “On the same day, the consecration of Hagia Sophia in Kyiv in the summer of 6460.” The date of memory, according to church historians, is indicated according to the so-called "Antiochian", and not according to the generally accepted Constantinople chronology, and corresponds to the year 960 from the Nativity of Christ.

No wonder the Russian Princess Olga received in baptism the name of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Helena, who found the Holy Tree of the Cross of Christ in Jerusalem. The main shrine of the newly created St. Sophia Church was the holy eight-pointed cross, brought by the new Helen from Constantinople and received by her as a blessing from the Patriarch of Constantinople. The cross, according to legend, was carved from a single piece of the Life-Giving Tree of the Lord. On it was the inscription: "Renew the Russian land with the holy cross, it was also accepted by Olga, the noble princess." The cross and other Christian shrines, by the grace emanating from them, contributed to the enlightenment of the Russian land.

Sophia Cathedral, having stood for half a century, burned down in 1017. Yaroslav the Wise built the Church of St. Irina on this site later, in 1050, and transferred the shrines of the St. Sophia Olgin Church to the stone church of the same name - the still standing St. Sophia of Kyiv, founded in 1017 and consecrated around 1030. In the Prologue of the 13th century, it is said about Olga's cross: "Izhe now stands in Kyiv in Hagia Sophia in the altar on the right side." The looting of the Kyiv shrines, continued after the Mongols by the Lithuanians, who inherited the city in 1341, did not spare him either. Under Jagiello, during the period of the Union of Lublin, which united Poland and Lithuania into one state in 1384, Holguin's cross was stolen from St. Sophia Cathedral and taken by Catholics to Lublin. His further fate is unknown.

Then, with the preaching of the holy faith, the holy princess went to the north. She visited Veliky Novgorod and other cities, wherever possible, bringing people to the faith of Christ, while crushing idols, setting up honest crosses in their place, from which many signs and wonders were made to assure the pagans. Arriving at her homeland, in Vybutskaya all, blessed Olga extended the word of the Christian sermon here to those close to her. While staying in this side, she reached the bank of the Velikaya River, flowing from south to north, and stopped opposite the place where the Pskova River, flowing from the east, flows into the Velikaya River (at that time a large dense forest grew in these places). And then Saint Olga from the other side of the river saw that from the east to this place, illuminating it, three bright rays descend from the sky. The wonderful light from these rays was seen not only by Saint Olga, but also by her companions; and the blessed one rejoiced greatly and thanked God for the vision, which foreshadowed the enlightenment of that side by the grace of God. Turning to the persons accompanying her, blessed Olga said prophetically: “Let it be known to you that by the will of God in this place, illumined by thrice-radiant rays, a church will arise in the name of the Most Holy and Life-Giving Trinity and a great and glorious city will be created, abounding in everything.” After these words and a rather lengthy prayer, blessed Olga put up the cross; and to this day the prayer temple stands on the spot where Blessed Olga erected it.

Having bypassed many cities of the Russian land, the preacher of Christ returned to Kyiv and here she showed good deeds for God. Remembering the vision on the Pskov River, she sent a lot of gold and silver to create a church in the name of the Holy Trinity, ordered that people populate that place. And in a short time, the city of Pskov, so named from the Pskov River, grew into a great city, and the name of the Most Holy Trinity was glorified in it.

The prayers and labors of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga brought rich fruits: Christianity in Russia began to spread and strengthen rapidly. But he was opposed by paganism, which had established itself as the dominant (state) religion. Among the boyars and warriors in Kyiv there were many people who, in the words of Solomon, "hated Wisdom", like the holy princess Olga, who built temples for Her. The zealots of pagan antiquity raised their heads more and more boldly, looking with hope at the growing Svyatoslav, who resolutely rejected his mother's persuasion to accept Christianity and even became angry with her for it. It was necessary to hurry with the conceived work of the baptism of Russia. The cunning of Byzantium, which did not want to give Christianity to Russia, played into the hands of the pagans. In search of a solution, Saint Olga turns her eyes to the West. There is no contradiction here. Saint Olga († 969) still belonged to the undivided Church and hardly had the opportunity to delve into the theological subtleties of Greek and Latin doctrine. The confrontation between the West and the East seemed to her primarily political rivalry, secondary in comparison with the urgent task - the creation of the Russian Church, the Christian enlightenment of Russia.

Under the year 959, the German chronicler, referred to as the "continuer of Reginon," writes: "The ambassadors of Elena, the queen of the Russians, who was baptized in Constantinople, came to the king and asked to consecrate a bishop and priests for this people." King Otto, the future founder of the German Empire, readily responded to Olga's request, but took the matter slowly, with purely German thoroughness. Only on Christmas of the next year 960 Libutius, from the brethren of the monastery of St. Alban in Mainz, was appointed Bishop of Russia. But he soon died (March 15, 961). Adalbert of Trier was consecrated in his place, whom Otto, "generously supplying with everything necessary," finally sent to Russia. It is difficult to say what would have happened if the king had not delayed so long, but when Adalbert appeared in Kyiv in 962, he "did not succeed in anything that he was sent for, and saw his efforts in vain." Worse, on the way back, "some of his companions were killed, and the bishop himself did not escape mortal danger."

It turned out that over the past two years, as Olga had foreseen, a final coup had taken place in Kyiv in favor of the supporters of paganism, and, having become neither Orthodox nor Catholic, Russia generally changed its mind about accepting Christianity. The pagan reaction manifested itself so strongly that not only the German missionaries suffered, but also some of the Kyiv Christians who were baptized with Olga in Constantinople. By order of Svyatoslav, St. Olga's nephew Gleb was killed and some churches built by her were destroyed. Of course, this was not without Byzantine secret diplomacy: opposed to Olga and alarmed by the possibility of strengthening Russia through an alliance with Otto, the Greeks preferred to support the pagans.

The failure of Adalbert's mission was of providential significance for the future of the Russian Orthodox Church, which had escaped papal captivity. Saint Olga had to come to terms with what had happened and completely go into matters of personal piety, leaving the reins of government to the pagan Svyatoslav. She was still reckoned with, her statesmanship was invariably addressed in all difficult cases. When Svyatoslav left Kyiv - and he spent most of his time in campaigns and wars - the administration of the state was again handed over to the princess-mother. There could no longer be any talk of the baptism of Russia, and this, of course, grieved Saint Olga, who considered the piety of Christ the main business of her life.

The Grand Duchess meekly endured sorrows and sorrows, tried to help her son in state and military affairs, to guide him in heroic plans. The victories of Russian weapons were a consolation for her, especially the defeat of the old enemy of the Russian state - the Khazar Khaganate. Twice, in 965 and in 969, Svyatoslav's troops passed through the lands of the "foolish Khazars", forever crushing the power of the Jewish rulers of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov and the Lower Volga region. The next powerful blow was inflicted on Muslim Volga Bulgaria, then the turn of Danube Bulgaria came. 80 cities along the Danube were taken by Kyiv squads. One thing bothered Olga: as if, carried away by the war in the Balkans, Svyatoslav did not forget about Kyiv.

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In pre-Petrine Russia there were many outstanding women - both rulers, and enlighteners, and saints, and beautiful and faithful wives. We will talk about seven of them.

Olga, baptized Elena, according to legend, came from Pskov. She ruled Kievan Rus after the death of her husband, Prince Igor Rurikovich, as regent from 945 to about 960. Olga showed herself as a decisive and wise ruler. After the murder of Igor, the Drevlyans sent matchmakers to his widow to call her to marry their prince Mal. The princess severely punished the Drevlyan elders and brought the Drevlyans to submission.

The first of the Russian rulers adopted Christianity even before the baptism of Russia. According to the Tale of Bygone Years, this happened in 955 in Constantinople, Olga was personally baptized by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus with the patriarch (Theophylact): “And she was named Elena in baptism, like the ancient queen mother of Emperor Constantine I.”

The Tale of Bygone Years and Life decorate the circumstances of the baptism with a story about how the wise Olga outwitted the Byzantine king. He, marveling at her intelligence and beauty, wanted to take Olga as his wife, but the princess rejected the claims, noting that it was not appropriate for Christians to marry pagans. It was then that the king and the patriarch baptized her. When the tsar again began to harass the princess, she pointed out that she was now the goddaughter of the tsar. Then he richly endowed her and sent her home.

Anna (Agnessa) Yaroslavna or Anna of Kiev - the youngest of the three daughters of the Kyiv prince Yaroslav the Wise from marriage with Ingegerda of Sweden, the wife of the French king Henry I and the queen of France. The young queen was a far-sighted and energetic statesman. On the French documents of that time, along with the signatures of her husband, there are also Slavic letters: "Anna Rina" (Queen Anna).

Pope Nicholas II, surprised by Anna’s remarkable political abilities, wrote to her in a letter: “The rumor about your virtues, delightful girl, has reached our ears, and we hear with great joy that you are fulfilling your royal duties in this very Christian state with commendable zeal and wonderful mind.

In 1060, Anna moved to Senlis Castle, 40 km from Paris, where she founded a convent and a church. She was the educator of the growing son and his leader in public affairs, however, Count Baudouin of Flanders was nominally the guardian (only a man could be the guardian).

In 1063 Anna married Raoul de Crepy-en-Valois. This marriage caused a scandal. Although Raoul had Carolingian blood in his veins, and his fiefdoms surpassed that of the French kings, he was nevertheless a vassal. After Raoul's death in 1074, Anna returned to court and was received as queen mother. We find the last mention of Anna in 1075 (her signature is on the charter), after which nothing exact about her fate is known.

According to one version, Anna was buried in the abbey of Villiers in the town of Cerny near La Ferte Alle. In the 18th-19th centuries, the Church Slavonic parchment manuscript kept in the Reims Cathedral was often associated with the name of Anna; at least since the 16th century, French kings swore on it. The opinion that this manuscript (more precisely, its first part, written in Cyrillic; the second, Glagolitic, dates back to the 14th century) was brought to France by Anna Yaroslavna, gained great popularity.

Euphrosyne of Polotsk is the first Belarusian and, according to some sources, East Slavic educator. Her secular name is Predslava. She was born into a princely family and was the daughter of the youngest son of Prince Vseslav Bracheslavovich. Her mother - Sofia - was the daughter of Vladimir Monomakh. Although, apparently, a brilliant secular future shone in Predslava, the little princess decided to live her life differently than was customary. Upon reaching adulthood - and at that time it was 12 years old - Predslava firmly decided to go to the monastery and, despite the pleas of her mother and the threats of her father, she did so. In the monastery, her aunt was the abbess, and she received the young nun.

In 1127-1128, Euphrosyne founded the Polotsk Savior-Euphrosyne Monastery, where, under her influence, her sister Gordislava (in monasticism - Evdokia) and cousin Zvenislava Borisovna (in monasticism - Evpraksia) were also tonsured. The monastery received rich contributions and Euphrosyne built a stone church of the Savior in it, which has survived to the present.

In her old age, Euphrosyne went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem (in April 1167). There she received an audience with Patriarch Luke. In Jerusalem, Euphrosyne, exhausted by the long journey, fell ill and died.

Holy Blessed Princess Eupraxia of Ryazan - wife of Fedor Yuryevich, Prince of Ryazan. According to the chronicles, she was famous for her beauty. During the Mongol-Tatar invasion, Batu Khan, having heard about her beauty, wished that she would be brought to him. Prince Fedor refused to bring his wife to the Horde, for which he was killed on the orders of Batu. Having learned about the fate of her husband (according to other sources - after the capture of the fortress by Batu, so as not to remain for reproach), Evpraksia, together with the child, laid hands on herself, throwing herself from the roof of the prince's tower (according to other sources - from the bell tower of the church of St. Nicholas).

Fevronia (in the world Euphrosyne) is a saint, the wife of Prince David of Murom, in monasticism Peter. Information about Fevronia came to us of a later origin, in all likelihood of the 16th century, which appeared simultaneously with the canonization of the Murom miracle workers. Prince David, even before taking the princely table in Murom, suffered for a long time from some kind of serious illness: his body was covered with scabs.

The daughter of a "dart climber" (beekeeper), who was famous for her intelligence and beauty, cured the prince with some kind of ointment. The prince gave his word to marry her, but then found it indecent for his rank to marry a girl of low birth. Soon the prince again visited the former illness, and again he was healed by the same Euphrosyne. This time he fulfilled his promise and married her. David Yurievich, after the death of his elder brother, took the Murom princely table. The Murom nobles, who envied his power, demanded that the prince either let his wife go away from him, or leave Murom himself. David Yurievich left the principality. The princess advised the prince not to be sad and to hope in the Lord. Soon the boyars were forced to ask David and Euphrosyne to return to Murom. The intelligent and pious princess helped her husband with advice and charity.

Having reached old age, the prince and princess took monastic vows, one with the name of Peter, the other with the name of Fevronia. Fevronia died in 1228, on the same day as her husband. Both of them, according to the will, are placed in the same coffin.

Martha, the wealthy and influential widow of the Novgorod posadnik Isaac Boretsky, became the unofficial leader of the boyars' opposition to Moscow's growing influence in the 15th century. She negotiated with the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the King of Poland, Casimir IV, on the entry of Novgorod into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania on the basis of autonomy, while maintaining the political rights of Novgorod. Marfa and her son, Novgorod's staid posadnik Dmitry, in 1471 advocated the exit of Novgorod from dependence on Moscow established by the Treaty of Yazhelbitsky (1456). Upon learning of this, Grand Duke Ivan III of Moscow declared war on the Novgorod Republic and in the Battle of Shelon (1471) defeated Novgorodians. Dmitry Boretsky was executed, but Novgorod retained the right to self-government in its internal affairs.

But Marfa, despite the death of her son and the actions of Ivan III, continued negotiations with Casimir, who promised her support. In 1478, Ivan III finally deprived the Novgorod lands of the privileges of self-government, extending the power of autocracy to them. As a sign of the abolition of the Novgorod veche, the veche bell was taken to Moscow, Martha's lands were confiscated, she and her grandson were first brought to Moscow, and then sent to Nizhny Novgorod. There, Martha was tonsured a monk under the name of Mary in the Zachatievsky Monastery, where she died in 1503. Nikolai Karamzin's story "Marfa the Posadnitsa, or the Conquest of Novgorod" is dedicated to this controversial but bright woman, and her image is present on the monument "1000th Anniversary of Russia" in Veliky Novgorod.

Theodosia Morozova, nee Sokovnina, at the age of 17 married the royal sleeping bag Gleb Ivanovich Morozov. Having become a widow, Theodosius took care of her young son and enjoyed influence at the court of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, having the rank of riding noblewoman. Boyar Morozova was an opponent of the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, and communicated with the apologist of the Old Believers - Archpriest Avvakum. Feodosia was engaged in charity work, she performed home prayers “according to ancient rites”, and her Moscow house served as a haven for the Old Believers persecuted by the authorities.

After a secret tonsure as a nun under the name of Theodora, which took place in December 1670, Morozova began to move away from church and social events. Adherence to the "old faith" and refusal to attend the royal wedding caused an irreconcilable conflict with Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The boyar was arrested, deprived of her estate, and then exiled to the Pafnutyevo-Borovsky monastery and imprisoned in the monastery prison, where she died of starvation. Academician A. M. Panchenko, examining Morozova’s letters to Avvakum, writes that Feodosia “is not a gloomy fanatic, but a mistress and mother, busy with her son and household chores.” Boyarynya Morozova is depicted in the famous painting by Surikov (1887); she is one of the main characters in the TV movie "Split".

2012 - THE YEAR OF RUSSIAN HISTORY

DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH

The daughters of Russian tsars, when they marry, remain faithful to their faith - this rule was well known in Europe. Not always, therefore, their fates developed quite happily.

ELENA MOSCOVSKAYA

Derived from the root

Let us recall the story of Princess Elena, the daughter of Tsar Ivan the Third. Mindful of her "pious feat", the chronicler described this wonderful Christian as follows: "descended from the root", "brought up in unshakable piety, "placed from pious parents."

Her mother Sophia was the niece of the last Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos and was brought up in Italy. The Vatican had high hopes for her. It was assumed that Sophia would help convert Russia to Catholicism, but as soon as the girl set foot on Russian soil, she rushed into the temple and began to kiss the icons.

Twenty-three years have passed. It was decided to marry the Grand Duchess Elena to the Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander. At that time, Lithuania included Belarus, Smolensk and other Russian lands. Despite the fact that most of the inhabitants there professed Orthodoxy, the princes of Lithuania chose Catholicism. True, not all of them - others fought on the Kulikovo field next to the holy Prince Demetrius. But gradually Rome was more and more established in Western Russia. So that someone could be found to defend the fatherly faith, and consent was given to the marriage of Elena with Alexander.

The girl set off, backed up by her father's instructions: “In memory of the Grand Duchess. Do not go to the Latin goddess, but go to the Greek church. Out of curiosity, you can see the first one or the Latin monastery, but only once or twice. If your mother-in-law is in Vilna and orders you to go with you to the goddess, then escort her to the door and say politely that you are going to your church.

True, Alexander, who managed to fall in love, swore to Ivan III that he would not prevent his future wife from “keeping the Greek law, forcing her to the Roman law” and would not even allow such a transition if she herself wanted to. But the promise was given orally, contrary to Polish laws, and, finally, you never know who swears in anything. Seriously, the parents hoped only for Elena herself, knowing her character. The Poles and Lithuanians were to recognize him as well.

The princess was nineteen when, in 1495, the Russian embassy reached Vilna. The wedding took place in the local Cathedral of St. Stanislaus according to two rites at once - Catholic and Orthodox. Bishop of Vilna Radziwill and Moscow priest Macarius served. There, in Vilna, the young couple settled, not yet imagining what trials they would face. In a sense, in Rome, they hoped to recoup the princess for her failure with her parents. “Russia is too strong and therefore so stubborn,” the Catholics believed, “and Elena is just a woman, and she is unlikely to put up serious resistance.”

Queen

Alexander found himself in a very difficult position. He hoped everything would work out. But it didn't work out. Letters were sent to him from Rome, resolving him from oaths given to his father-in-law, they pressed him mercilessly. The only thing that kept him from complete obedience was a tender feeling for his wife. However, he also had to annoy his wife. She was denied the promised construction of a house church. But there were enough Orthodox churches in Vilna. In one of them - Pokrovsky - Elena began to go to services. Something else was much worse: all the Orthodox were removed from the environment of the princess.

“Here we have,” the clerk Shestakov wrote to the sovereign in Moscow, “there is great confusion between the Latins and our Christianity; the devil has moved into our lord of Smolensky, and into Sapega too. Embrace the Orthodox faith. The Grand Duke is imprisoning our Empress, Grand Duchess Elena, into the damned Latin faith. But God taught our empress, but she remembered the science of the sovereign father, and she refused her husband like this: “Remember what you promised the sovereign, my father, and without the will of the sovereign, my father, I cannot do this. I will do as he teaches me” . Yes, and all of our Orthodox Christianity wants to baptize; Because of this, our Russia and Lithuania are in great enmity.

Tsar Ivan III

Upon learning of this, Ivan the Third sent a faithful man, Ivan Mamonov, to Lithuania, ordering his daughter to suffer to death rather than betray her faith. It is not known how he would behave, know that Elena will fulfill his order. I imagine the grins of some: what is all this for? Yes, and the Bishop of Smolensk, Orthodox in appearance, who betrayed Elena, was at a loss. The policy of many Orthodox hierarchs, not only in the Latin world, but also in the Ottoman Empire, was not to stick out. And here...

The enraged sovereign Ivan began a war against his son-in-law, but Elena sent a letter to her father, in which she reproached him for violating the peace treaty and begged him to stop "blood of Christian pouring." She assured that her husband was affectionate and caring to her, so that the Grand Duke even flared up, writing in response: “Shame on you, daughter, to write me a lie! We know for certain that you are being oppressed in your faith.” The princess stood her ground, wanting to reconcile two people close to her.

A year later, Grand Duke Alexander occupied the Polish throne, and Elena actually became queen - but not legally, as she refused to be crowned. After all, for this it was necessary to accept Catholicism. The husband reacted to her decision philosophically, reconciled. Moreover, he drove his beloved through the new possessions, demonstrating to everyone: here is your empress. Consoling, he gave Elena possessions, which she quickly transferred to Orthodox churches and monasteries. What is curious: the war with Moscow continued all this time. Only three years after it began, a peace was signed, which Tsar Ivan accompanied with a warning: “If our brother starts to force our daughter to the Roman law, then let him know that we will not let him down - we will stand for it as much as God will help us” .

standing

Deciding that Elena of Moscow, as she was called in Poland and Lithuania, was only obedient to her parent, the Catholics calmed down somewhat, began to wait for the death of the Russian monarch. Pope Julius II in 1505 said so directly, allowing Alexander to live with a heterodox wife "in anticipation of the death of her father, already very old, or some other circumstance." It didn’t take long to wait: a few months later, Ivan the Third died. What about Elena? But nothing. As she believed, she continued to remain Orthodox. The following year, she also lost her beloved husband, who was her support in the camp of ill-wishers. But her brother Vasily, who ascended the Russian throne, continued to strengthen Elena’s strength: “And you, sister, would now remember God and your soul, our father and mother’s order, you wouldn’t fall away from God with your soul, you wouldn’t fall away from your father and mother in unblessing would not bring reproach to our Orthodox law either.” The dowager queen had a hard time: in 1512, her treasury was taken away from her and she was sent into exile from Vilna.

In response, a war began, which further worsened the situation of Elena, and then villainy was committed. Voivode Nikolai Radziwill sent killers (two Russians and one Lithuanian Zhmudin) to the queen to present her with poison along with honey. On the same January day, Elena died. She was only thirty-seven years old when she was martyred.

In memory of his sister, Emperor Vasily built a church in the Kremlin, which was revered by all subsequent Russian tsars. The main shrine of the temple was the icon of St. Nicholas from the Gostun Castle, which is associated with the names of Elena and her husband Alexander. There is a legend that two loving spouses who belonged to different faiths once prayed together in front of this image.

Three centuries have passed since Helena's death. The world has changed, but history has repeated itself. Once again, the Russian princess found herself in a Catholic country - and went through many sufferings, defending her faith. Only she died this time at the age of seventeen. The heroine of our next story will be Alexandra, the stole of Hungary, the daughter of Emperor Paul the First.

ALEXANDRA - HUNGARIAN STONE

Early years

Empress Catherine the Great was not happy about the birth of her first granddaughter. “My health book,” she wrote, “the other day was multiplied by a young lady, who was named Alexandra in honor of her older brother. To tell the truth, I love boys incomparably more than girls ... ”This was fully reflected in the choice of name.

It was decided that it was too risky to entrust the upbringing of the child to the mother - Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna. Ekaterina herself chose her daughter-in-law from German princesses, appreciating the wide hips and everything that is needed for the production of heirs. The presence of mental abilities in this case was not necessary, even harmful. The unfortunate Maria Fedorovna was almost forced to hide the fact that she was smart, delicate, not devoid of talents. Her husband, the future emperor Paul, fell in love with her passionately. The couple worried together that the babies were taken away from them one by one, not allowed to be brought up. Ekaterina, dreaming of raising a “new breed of people”, decided to start with her grandchildren. True, there were no special hopes for Alexander.

A year passed, another, everything remained as before: the little princess continued to cause irritation. “Neither fish nor meat,” the sovereign spoke of her, specifying that this child is “a very ugly creature, especially in comparison with her brothers” and that even her second granddaughter, two-month-old Elena, is smarter and livelier than two-year-old Alexandra. But the ugly duckling, as if trying to please the royal grandmother, began to change dramatically.

The empress reported with surprise about her granddaughter that she “suddenly made amazing progress: she got prettier, grew up and assumed such a posture that she seemed older than her years. She speaks four languages, writes and draws well, plays the harpsichord, sings, dances, understands everything very easily and reveals extreme meekness in her character. I have become the object of her passion, and in order to please me and draw my attention to herself, she seems ready to throw herself into the fire.

It's amazing how this despised, motherless girl developed such a gift for love. No one before or after her loved Catherine the Great so strongly and disinterestedly.

This was Alexandra's main gift, not to mention the fact that she translated poetry, sculpted beautifully from wax; everything that this girl touched was transformed. Perhaps the successful choice of a mentor had an effect. From infancy, the princess was entrusted to the widow of the general, Baroness Charlotte Karlovna Lieven, who managed to excellently raise her six children and reveal their talents. As the birth of other grand duchesses, and then princes, they all came at her disposal. Generalsha Lieven was an iron man, Empress Catherine herself fell from her for debauchery. The influence of Charlotte Karlovna on the fate of the representatives of the dynasty can hardly be overestimated. Until the revolution, the upbringing of the grand dukes and princesses bore the imprint of her character.

Father Andrei Samborsky

The priest Andrei Samborsky had no less influence on Alexandra. He was one of the most educated people in St. Petersburg, who served for a long time at the Russian Mission in London. From there he brought his English wife, who had been converted by him to Orthodoxy, and a number of habits unusual for an Orthodox priest: he did not wear a beard, but preferred secular clothes.

The spiritual authorities were not happy with this, but allowance must be made for the biography of Father Andrei. Although he was the son of a priest, he was sent to Europe to study agronomy and did not immediately decide to continue the work of his father and ancestors. But the choice was deliberate and made in very unfavorable conditions.

“This enlightened country (England. - V.G.), - he wrote, defending himself from attacks, - may it testify with what zeal and purity I performed worship for many years, which affirms pure faith in people, which alone affirms the royal thrones , through which the peoples are in silence and unanimity. After completing the sacred office in the temple, I used all the rest of the time for the acquisition not of my own benefit, but of the common good - the success of Russian artists, shipbuilders, sailors, farmers - using all possible cases and methods.

All the great princesses, then the princes, appreciated this man. Although his enemies claimed that Father Andrei instilled little religiosity in his spiritual children, remaining more an agronomist than a confessor, this is not so. They write, for example, about Emperor Alexander the Blessed: “The influence of Samborsky was negative. Alexander did not know God." However, it is known that the sovereign used to spend whole hours on his knees in front of the images. He just did not try to advertise it: Father Andrei did not teach him to be hypocritical.

The warmest and most trusting relationship developed between Father Andrei and Alexandra. The priest was very fond of this girl, who blossomed before his eyes, she paid him the same. They did not know what trials they would face and that the princess would die in the arms of her spiritual father, breaking his heart.

Just one condition...

According to the memoirs of her contemporaries, she was not only pretty, but had that charm that is almost impossible to convey in a portrait. In any case, no one succeeded, although many wrote the girl: Levitsky, Vigée-Lebrun, Lampi, Zharkov, Miles, Borovikovsky, Ritt. They never managed to completely please the family and friends of the princess. Spiritual beauty seemed to illuminate her face from the inside, but the personality of a person in that era was not yet able to appreciate by itself.

Catherine the Great very early began to think about the marriage of Alexandra (as, indeed, other grand duchesses). This was one of the main reasons why the queen was not happy about the birth of her granddaughters: she was afraid for them. “Everyone will be badly married,” the Empress predicted, “because nothing can be more unhappy than the Russian Grand Duchess. They will not be able to apply to anything; everything will seem small to them... Of course, they will have seekers, but this will lead to endless misunderstandings.”

Alas, Catherine was not mistaken, although she did everything to avoid this. When Alexandra was nine years old, her grandmother decided to make her Queen of Sweden. The potential groom was fifteen. Of course, he was still not quite suitable for marriage, and the empress decided to wait for his 18th birthday. Gustav IV Adolf - that was the name of the king. The proposal from St. Petersburg looked more like an order. Negotiations began between the empress and the regent under the minor monarch - the Duke of Südermanland. Their course was not smooth, so Catherine even wrote to her faithful correspondent Baron Grimm: “If the matter is not settled, then she (Alexandra. - V. G.) can be consoled, because he will be at a loss who marries another. I can safely say that it is difficult to find an equal to her in beauty, talents and courtesy. Not to mention the dowry, which in itself is an important subject for poor Sweden. In addition, this marriage could strengthen peace for many years to come.”

The marriage of the eldest granddaughter with the Swedish king became a fixed idea for the empress, she wished him with all the strength of her soul. Approximately the same passionately the Swedes opposed him. They felt like they were being humiliated. The regent - the uncle of the king - began to negotiate the marriage of his nephew with Princess Louise-Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. In November 1795, prayers for the health of this princess began to be served in Swedish churches, but Catherine was offended, asking: “Let the regent hate me, let him look for an opportunity and deceive - good luck! - but why would he marry his pet to an ugly ugly girl? How did the king deserve such a cruel punishment, when he thought of marrying a bride whose beauty everyone speaks with one voice?

Aesthetic considerations were backed up by decisive action. Count Suvorov was sent to the border - "to inspect the fortresses." It turned out they were fine. The Swedes knew who Suvorov was, so they did not want to get to know each other better. For this or some other reason, the king suddenly decidedly did not want to marry Louise-Charlotte, and negotiations with Petersburg resumed. They argued for the longest time about the religion of the bride, but in the end the Swedish side agreed that the princess would remain Orthodox.

And what about Alexandra? Having become acquainted with the portrait of the king, she decided that she could love him, and for four years she prepared for the wedding, studying Swedish. The meeting took place in August 1796, when Gustav arrived in St. Petersburg, taking on a pseudonym - "Count Gaga". The festivities lasted for a whole month, and the young people immediately found a common language. The empress was delighted, reporting: “Everyone notices that his majesty is dancing with Alexandra more and more often and that their conversation is not interrupted ... It seems that my maiden does not feel disgust for the aforementioned young man: she no longer has the former embarrassed look and speaks very freely with his beau.”

Meanwhile, warning signs began to disturb the capital.

On the day of the ball given by the Prosecutor General Count Samoilov in honor of the arrival of the Swedes, at the moment when Empress Catherine II got out of the carriage, a meteor traced the sky, illuminating the entire capital. "A star has fallen!" - said the empress. Almost simultaneously, in Tsarskoe Selo, such strong smoke appeared at night under the empress's bedroom window that everyone was alarmed and began to look for its source. Nothing could be found either in the palace or in the vicinity. Some attributed the incident to the birth of Tsarevich Nikolai Pavlovich, but he had absolutely nothing to do with it. Obviously, what happened worried Catherine. Her favorite Countess Anna Alekseevna Matyushkina, trying to console the empress, reported: “The people, mother, interpret that the star has fallen for good, and it means that Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna will fly away from us to Sweden.” But the people interpreted in vain.

Catherine the Great had only a few weeks to live. The mortal blow was dealt to her by none other than the Swedish fiancé, or rather, those who stood behind the young king. The betrothal was scheduled for September 11, while it was agreed that it would take place in the Greek-Russian church. Catherine was waiting for the Swedes in the hall of the palace, surrounded by the military, courtiers, clergy, Alexandra was languishing, dressed in a wedding dress. But at the appointed time, the guests did not appear. Time passed, but they were still not there - and so for more than four hours. All this time there were negotiations. Gustav locked himself in the bedroom, demanding to agree to the condition: the Grand Duchess must become a Protestant.

Just one condition...

Alexandra was told that her fiancé was ill. She started crying.

To justify Gustav, one can say that pressure was put on him. The young man was frightened by popular unrest, and he resisted before he allowed himself to be persuaded. He really liked the Russian princess: it was hard not to fall in love with her. Perhaps the king at first hoped that the Russians would easily surrender, but then became hardened. If Charles XII wanted to bring the whole of Russia to its knees, converting it to his faith, the arrogant Gustav decided to be satisfied with the victory over Alexandra ... It did not work out here either.

His fate was sad. Another unsuccessful war with Russia in 1808 led the king to the loss of Finland. Then he insulted 120 guardsmen from the noblest families, degrading them to army officers for cowardice on the battlefield. As a result of the conspiracy, he was overthrown, led a wandering lifestyle in Europe, calling himself Colonel Gustavsson, in addition, he divorced his wife Frederica Dorothea Wilhelmina, one of the German princesses, for whom he exchanged Alexandra. Frederica Dorothea was a Protestant, but did not like him.

The failed marriage to Empress Catherine cost just as dearly. Upon learning of the Swedes' condition, she suffered a mild apoplexy - the first of the three that, two months later, would bring her to the grave.

But Princess Alexandra was still married. How this happened and what happened after that, we will tell in the next issue of the newspaper.

(Ending to follow)

Vladimir GRIGORYAN

She was the first woman to become the ruler of one of the largest, at that time, states - Kievan Rus. The revenge of this woman was terrible, and the reign was harsh. The princess was perceived ambiguously. Someone considered her wise, someone cruel and cunning, and someone a real saint. Princess Olga went down in history as the creator of the state culture of Kievan Rus, as the first ruler to be baptized, as the first Russian saint ..

Princess Olga became famous after the tragic death of her husband

While still a very young girl, Olga became the wife of the Grand Duke of Kyiv, Igor. According to legend, their first meeting was rather unusual. One day, a young prince, who wished to cross the river, from the shore called a man floating in a boat to him. He saw his escort only after they sailed away. To the surprise of the prince, a girl was sitting in front of him, moreover, of incredible beauty. Yielding to feelings, Igor began to persuade her to vicious actions. Meanwhile, having understood his thoughts, the girl reminded the prince of the honor of the ruler, who should be a worthy example for his subjects. Ashamed by the young maiden's words, Igor abandoned his intentions. Noting the mind and chastity of the girl, he parted with her, keeping in mind her words and image. When it came time to choose a bride, none of the Kyiv beauties fell to his heart. Remembering the stranger with the boat, Igor sent his guardian Oleg for her. So Olga became Igor's wife and Russian princess.

However, the princess became known only after the tragic death of her husband. Shortly after the birth of his son Svyatoslav, Prince Igor was executed. He became the first ruler in the history of Russia, who died at the hands of the people, outraged by the repeated collection of tribute. The heir to the throne was at that time only three years old, so in fact all power passed into the hands of Olga. She ruled Kievan Rus until Svyatoslav came of age, but even after that, in reality, the princess remained the ruler, since her son was absent from military campaigns most of the time.

Having received power, Olga ruthlessly took revenge on the Drevlyans

The first thing she did was to ruthlessly take revenge on the Drevlyans who were responsible for the death of her husband. Pretending that she agreed to a new marriage with the prince of the Drevlyans, Olga dealt with their elders, and then subjugated the whole people. In her revenge, the princess used any methods. Luring the Drevlyans to the right place for her, on her orders, the people of Kiev buried them alive, burned them, and bloodthirstyly won in battle. And only after Olga had finished her massacre, she began to manage Kievan Rus.

Princess Olga is the first Russian woman to officially convert to Christianity.

Princess Olga directed her main forces to domestic policy, which she tried to implement by diplomatic methods. Traveling around the Russian lands, she suppressed the revolts of petty local princes and carried out a number of important reforms. The most important of them was the administrative-tax reform. In other words, she established centers of trade and exchange in which taxes were collected in an orderly manner. The financial system became a strong support of princely power in the lands far from Kyiv. Thanks to the reign of Olga, the defensive power of Russia increased significantly. Strong walls grew around the cities, the first state borders of Russia were established - in the west, with Poland.

The princess strengthened international ties with Germany and Byzantium, and relations with Greece opened a new perspective on the Christian faith for Olga. In 954, the princess, for the purpose of religious pilgrimage and a diplomatic mission, went to Constantinople, where she was received with honor by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus.

Before deciding to be baptized, the princess got acquainted with the basics of the Christian faith for two years. Attending divine services, she was amazed at the grandeur of the temples and the shrines gathered in them. Princess Olga, who received the name Elena at baptism, became the first woman to officially accept Christianity in pagan Russia. Upon her return, she ordered the construction of temples on the graveyards. During her reign, the Grand Duchess erected the churches of St. Nicholas and St. Sophia in Kyiv, the Annunciation of the Virgin in Vitebsk. By her decree, the city of Pskov was built, where the temple of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity was erected. According to legend, the place of the future temple was indicated to her by rays descending from the sky.

The baptism of Princess Olga did not lead to the establishment of Christianity in Russia

The princess tried to introduce Christianity to her son. Despite the fact that many nobles had already adopted the new faith, Svyatoslav remained faithful to paganism. The baptism of Princess Olga did not lead to the establishment of Christianity in Russia. But her grandson, the future Prince Vladimir, continued the mission of his adored grandmother. It was he who became the baptizer of Russia and founded the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kyiv, where he transferred the relics of the saints and Olga. During his reign, the princess began to be revered as a saint. And already in 1547 she was officially canonized as a saint Equal-to-the-Apostles. It is worth noting that only five women in Christian history received such an honor - Mary Magdalene, the first martyr Thekla, the martyr Apphia, Empress Elena Equal-to-the-Apostles and the Enlightener of Georgia Nina. Today, the Holy Princess Olga is revered as the patroness of widows and newly converted Christians.